Republic of KenyaKenya Forest ServiceKenya NFMS-FIPNational Forest Monitoring System – Forest Information PlatformHealthy Forests • Resilient Ecosystems • People and Nature • Data for Action

GHG Inventory

Emissions, removals, activity data, emission factors and uncertainty.

Emissions

Deforestation emitted on average 48,166,940 t CO₂ per year over 2002–2018 (770.7 Mt in total). Montane and western rain forests contribute most (63%) because of their high carbon stocks, although dryland forests lose the largest area.

Annual emissions from deforestation by stratum
060M30MNet 54.8M2002–2006Net 39.1M2006–2010Net 48.7M2010–2014Net 50M2014–2018Average 48.2M t CO₂/yr
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Net average 2002–2018: 48.2M t CO₂/yr
Annual CO₂ emissions from deforestation, t CO₂/yr (Table 24)
Stratum2002–20062006–20102010–20142014–2018Average
Montane & western rain forests37,497,56026,953,32927,609,16828,425,68930,121,437
Mangroves & coastal forests5,369,8332,838,4596,066,6858,997,8875,818,216
Dryland forests11,887,8529,351,29915,060,28112,609,71612,227,287
Total54,755,24639,143,08748,736,13450,033,29248,166,940

Forest degradation emitted on average 10,885,950 t CO₂ per year; about 82% came from montane and western rain forests.

Annual emissions from forest degradation by stratum
020M10MNet 13.8M2002–2006Net 8.4M2006–2010Net 9.6M2010–2014Net 11.8M2014–2018Average 10.9M t CO₂/yr
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Net average 2002–2018: 10.9M t CO₂/yr
Annual CO₂ emissions from forest degradation, t CO₂/yr (Table 25)
Stratum2002–20062006–20102010–20142014–2018Average
Montane & western rain forests12,437,8566,904,6878,171,4698,356,5458,967,639
Mangroves & coastal forests689,032658,228507,7081,983,662959,658
Dryland forests709,699787,686884,6521,452,579958,654
Total13,836,5878,350,6019,563,82911,792,78510,885,951

Public plantations

A replanting backlog makes public plantations a net source: harvesting emitted 2.94 Mt CO₂ per year on average, replanting removed 0.26 Mt, leaving 2.68 Mt net, rising to 4.28 Mt in 2014–2018.

Annual CO₂ from public plantation forests, t CO₂/yr (Table 28)
2002–20062006–20102010–20142014–2018Average
Harvesting2,953,8322,130,6672,217,2344,449,4832,937,804
Replanting-221,150-301,355-329,799-173,181-256,371
Net2,732,6821,829,3121,887,4354,276,3022,681,433

The land sector in the national GHG inventory (NID 2024)

The land sector (LULUCF) emitted 46,846 Gg CO₂-eq in 2022, 41% of Kenya's total, and was a net emitter throughout 2001–2022 (on average 17,839 Gg CO₂-eq a year). Conversion of land to cropland is the largest source, followed by land converted to grassland, cropland remaining cropland and forest land remaining forest land. Land converted to forest land is the largest sink.

Key categories in 2022, including LULUCF (Gg CO₂-eq, Tier 1 level assessment)
3.A.1 Enteric fermentation CH₄31,46426%
3.B.2.a Cropland remaining cropland (removals) CO₂26,71648%
1.A.3.b Road transportation CO₂11,80058%
3.B.3.b Land converted to grassland CO₂9,00465%
3.B.2.a Cropland remaining cropland (emissions) CO₂6,60971%
3.B.1.a Forest land remaining forest land CO₂6,44876%
1.A.4 Fuel combustion, other sectors CH₄4,46080%
3.B.1.b Land converted to forest land (removals) CO₂−3,76783%
2.A.1 Cement production CO₂3,60486%
4.D Domestic wastewater CH₄3,54989%
1.A.2 Manufacturing industries and construction CO₂2,00591%
3.C.4 Direct N₂O from managed soils N₂O1,61792%
3.A.2 Manure management CH₄1,50193%
1.A.4 Fuel combustion, other sectors CO₂1,33194%
1.A.1 Energy industries (liquid fuel) CO₂90195%
3.B.5.b Land converted to settlements CO₂74796%
LULUCFAgricultureEnergyWasteIPPURemoval (CO₂ taken up)Right column: cumulative share of the national total. Categories up to 95% are key categories.
Scope: the national GHG inventory (NID) covers all land in Kenya (forest, cropland, grassland, wetland, settlements and other land) for 2001–2022 and reports CO₂ only for the land sector. The Forest Reference Level (FRL) covers forests only, for 2002–2018. The two answer different questions, so their figures should be read side by side, not added together.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya's Third National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Document 1990–2022, December 2024 (Kenya’s national inventory report to the UNFCCC). Chapters 1.4 and 6.1, Tables 1-1 and 1-5.

Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry, The National Forest Reference Level for REDD+ Implementation, December 2019 (Kenya’s FRL submission to the UNFCCC). Chapters 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and 4.2.5.

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